Clinical vs. Science Research

Contact Information

Butler HospitalP: (401) 681-2858

Memorial HospitalP: (401) 729-2865

Women & Infants HospitalP: (401) 274-1122, ext. 2828

What is clinical research?

Clinical research, which involves clinical trials and other research protocols, are strictly controlled human studies of new and emerging therapies. This type of research involves real people participating in studies that are done to test whether a new drug, a new prevention strategy, or a new screening test is safe and effective in people.

Clinical research allows doctors from various disciplines to evaluate new forms of treatment, how best to apply recent developments in medicine, and to ensure that patients have the opportunity to receive the latest state-of-the-art care.

Clinical trials and clinical research at Care New England must first be approved by an Institutional Review Board, which includes doctors, administrators, ethicists and members of the general public. Volunteers are fully informed of possible risks and sign a consent form before being accepted into a clinical trial.

What is basic science research?

Basic science research is conducted to help doctors better understand what causes a disease, to analyze how current treatments work, and to develop potential new therapies.

Basic science research is done in laboratories using beakers and test tubes, not people. Investigators look at the micro - the cellular and molecular level of life - to better understand the macro, such as diseases and disorders.

While the implications for discoveries in basic research are sometimes unknown, discoveries by basic science researchers become the foundation for important breakthroughs in medical treatments and diagnostic technologies.